Prospect Pool Have Been Devised As a Way of Bringing an Element Normally Found in Dynasty Leagues to Our Keeper League, in a Limited Fashion

1 of 11 TABLE OF CONTENTS

Preamble 3 Prospect Draft 4 Overview ______4 Format ______5 Eligibility ______5 Prospects ______5 Qualifying Offer ______6 Control ______6 Total ______7 Transactions 7 Trading ______7 In-season ______7 Off-season ______7 Waivers, Offer Sheets, Downgrades ______7 Draft Order ______8 Groups 9 GROUP I: Ungraduated Prospect ______9 GROUP II: Delayed Graduate ______9 GROUP III: Qualified Graduate ______10 On NHL Roster ______10 Called Up ______10 Not Called Up______10 GROUP IV: Tagged Graduate ______11 Added Prospect ______11

2 PREAMBLE The primary goal of The Conn Smythe Corner is to imitate and simulate the management of a real-life NHL hockey Club. While the CSC is not a Dynasty League, the Prospect Draft and accompanying Prospect Pool have been devised as a way of bringing an element normally found in Dynasty Leagues to our Keeper League, in a limited fashion. This is all about investing in players before they have shown any capability of performing at the NHL level – indeed, a majority of the League’s constituents expressed interest or enthusiasm at the idea of introducing the development of Prospects to the CSC. Having to make tough decisions on how long to retain a player, whether to draft someone with less potential total control, whether to use up a spot on someone who had a down year, when to give up on a Prospect by trading or releasing them all ﬁgured into the development of these rules. We want GMs to have to sweat these decisions, as their future success can be coloured by how deftly they manage these Prospects.

One of the most intriguing things about this new concept is that it works in tandem with The Draft – the best young players will still be drafted by CSC Clubs in The Draft. The likes of Auston Matthews, Connor McDavid, John Tavares, Nico Hischier, or Nolan Patrick will almost certainly never ﬁnd their way into the Prospect Draft. It is expected that Clubs will continue to gamble on these world-class prospects in the regular Draft, while the Prospect Draft will involve the second and third class of Prospects who may not be as heralded or as “slam dunk” as those normally taken in the CSC Draft. It is our intention, in fact, that there is ample uncertainty surrounding the success of Prospects in the CSC – real-world prospects are not guaranteed sure things. And so, CSC GMs will be given the great opportunity to evaluate these still-good but not-sure-thing prospects on their own – and decide whether or not to invest in them for the long-term.

As far as concepts go, the Prospect Draft and Prospect Pool introduce a new element of forecasting and talent evaluation never before seen in the CSC. There is little to go on when drafting these players other than their pre-NHL careers and, when drafting older prospects, minimal experience at the North American pro level. Control over these Prospects is key. A system that forces Clubs to call players up far before they are ready is of no practical use. A system that is designed to nurture talent and to make hard decisions on whether to keep investing in that talent is compelling, and a worthwhile addition to a League that always has an eye to the future.

Excitingly, Prospects and Prospect Draft Picks will be a new currency that CSC GMs can use in order to improve their roster – will you choose to call up a Prospect who can still be controlled into the offseason in the middle of the season to help your squad? Or will you hold off and maximize how long you’re able to maintain control over him? Balancing short- and long-term interests is at the heart of the Prospect Draft and Prospect Pool, and so being able to trade or acquire Prospects and Prospect Draft Picks is another way for CSC Clubs to conduct trade operations while weighing the present and the future. Risk and reward is the soul of the Prospect Draft and Prospect Pool, and I look forward to our constituents finding new, creative ways to build their Clubs into Champions.

3 PROSPECT DRAFT Overview

4 Format • 2 rounds —> 16 picks per round —> 32 prospects selected • Full snaking draft • Takes place after The Draft™ and prior to PTO Draft™

Eligibility Players eligible to be selected in the Prospect Draft: a) were drafted in one of the three most recent NHL Entry Drafts b) have not yet burned the ﬁrst year of their Entry Level Contract (ELC) c) have not previously been designated as Keepers

Previously unqualiﬁed Prospects will be eligible to be selected in the Prospect Draft provided they have not burned the ﬁrst year of their ELC.

Generally, an Entry Level Contract is burned when 10+ NHL GP in a single season.

Please note that a player having 5 GP and 5 GP in the first and second year of his NHL career does not burn the first year of his ELC. A player must participate in more than 9 games in one season to burn the first year of his ELC, as indicated in the link below.

Authority for all ELC matters will be CapFriendly.com, where you may consult a detailed explanation on how NHL ELCs function -> https://www.capfriendly.com/slides

Prospects Once an eligible player is drafted by a CSC Club, he is thereby labeled as a “Prospect”.

All CSC Clubs hold the rights to a newly drafted Prospect for a minimum of one (1) League Year, without having to Qualify them.

A “League Year” is deﬁned as the period between the conclusion of the Annual Drafts and the Keeper Submission Deadline.

The “Qualiﬁcation Deadline” is the last Day that a Club may Qualify a Prospect. This deadline coincides with the Keeper Declaration Deadline at the end of the CSC Oﬀseason.

5 Qualifying Offer • The act of “Qualifying”, or extending a Qualifying Offer, to a Prospect, is the mechanism by which a CSC Club retains the rights to a Prospect at the Qualification Deadline. • Teams submit a list of Prospects that received a Qualifying Offer on the Qualification Deadline at the end of the offseason. • Prospects who do not receive a Qualifying Offer, and are thus not Qualified, are released from the Club following the Qualification Deadline. • Each Club, assuming they have not utilized their Tag on a Group III Prospect, may extend three (3) Qualifying Offers to three (3) Prospects at the Qualification Deadline. By Qualifying these Prospects, the CSC club retains the exclusive rights to the Prospect. • Prospects are not automatically Qualified once they are drafted in the Prospect Draft, nor do they require a Qualification, given they remain the guaranteed property of the Club that first drafted them for at least one (1) League Year following the Prospect Draft • Qualifying Offers are not revocable and unused Qualifying Offers may not be transferred. • Qualified Prospects who are traded following the Qualification Deadline remain Qualified on their new Club.

Control CSC Clubs are guaranteed one year of control on a newly-drafted Prospect, even if the Player burns the ﬁrst year of his ELC in-season.

“Year” refers to “League Year” – the period between the conclusion of the Annual Drafts and the Keeper Submission Deadline.

Years of total potential control following ﬁrst Qualiﬁcation is partially determined by the number of years since the Prospect in question was drafted in the NHL Entry Draft, using the formula 3-x (x = years since drafted in NHL)

Total Potential Control = (3 – [Years since NHL Draft]) + Guaranteed Control (1 Year) Table – Potential Control of a Prospect GUARANTEED TOTAL YEARS SINCE CONTROL AFTER CONTROL AFTER POTENTIAL NHL DRAFT QUALIFYING PROSPECT DRAFT CONTROL 0 3 years 1 year 4 years 1 2 years 1 year 3 years 2 1 year 1 year 2 years

6 Total • The total number of “Prospects” held by a Club depends on the number of Prospects that were Qualified by the Club (up to 3) and the number of Prospects – with an attached Qualifying Offer – acquired from another Club prior to the regular season Trade Deadline • These Qualified Prospects make up the “Prospect Pool”, and teams may hold rights to more than 3 Prospects in one of the following ways: 1. Acquire a Prospect and his attached Qualifying Offer in the Regular Season 2. Trade for a Prospect that was Qualified by another Club 3. Declaring a Prospect as a Keeper • A maximum of 48 Prospects will be Qualified in the CSC every League Year. • Group I, II, III, IV Prospects who are kept as Keepers are considered to be regular Keepers, and are subject to the standard Keepers rules as outlined in the CBA.

TRANSACTIONS Trading IN-SEASON Clubs may trade a Prospect to another club at any time prior to the Trade Deadline.

Prospects who are traded in-season come attached with a Qualifying Oﬀer that may only be used to Qualify that particular player. This Qualifying Oﬀer is given up by the Club trading away the prospect.

Prospect Draft Picks can be traded during an active, and there is no requirement that the same number of draft picks change hands as with regular Draft Picks

OFF-SEASON Clubs may trade a Prospect to another club at any time prior to the Qualiﬁcation Deadline.

Prospects who were acquired via an in-season trade retain their attached Qualifying Oﬀer if they are traded away in the oﬀseason.

Prospects who were not previously acquired during the regular season and that are traded in the oﬀseason do not come attached with a Qualifying Oﬀer.

Waivers, Offer Sheets, Downgrades • The Prospect Pool cannot be modified in-season through the use of waivers. • Prospects cannot be signed to an offer sheet or downgraded at any time.

7 Draft Order Staying consistent with the CSC’s core philosophy that rewards winning, and unlike traditional professional sports leagues that award their best draft picks to the worst performing Clubs, the Prospect Draft Order will be determined according to a Lottery where odds will be sorted according to ﬁnal Cam Ward Cup® Playoﬀs™ and North Stars Memorial Tourney™ standings.

The inaugural Prospect Draft™ will, however, utilize slightly diﬀerent lottery odds in 2017-18 before switching to revised odds in 2018-2019, as detailed below.

Table – Draft Lottery Odds (2017-18) Table – Draft Lottery Odds (2018-19) SEED ODDS (%) SEED ODDS (%)

1 15.0 1 15.0 2 12.5 2 12.5

3 10.0 3 10.0 4 9.0 4 9.0

5 8.5 5 8.5 6 8.0 6 8.0 7 7.5 7 7.5

8 7.0 8 7.0 9 5.0 9 5.0 10 4.0 10 4.0

11 2.25 11 3.5 12 2.25 12 3.0

13 2.25 13 2.5 14 2.25 14 2.0 15 2.25 15 1.5

16 2.25 16 1.0 100.0 100.0

8 GROUPS Prospects can be subdivided into four Groups – according to their Group, diﬀerent rules may apply.

GROUP I: Ungraduated Prospect

WHO: Prospects who have not yet burned the ﬁrst year of their NHL Entry Level Contract (ELC)

1. Rights are held for up to 3 League Years, inclusively, from the time of first qualification (please consult Table – Potential Control of a Prospect, to determine maximum control of rights) 2. Prospects remain in Group I as long as they have not burned the first year of their NHL ELC, for a maximum of 3 qualifications over 3 Years, depending on the age of the Player (please consult Table – Potential Control of a Prospect, to determine maximum control of rights) 3. Group I Prospects can be traded to other Clubs without being Qualified. 4. Group I Prospects can be Qualified by the Club that holds their rights prior to being traded. 5. Group I Prospects may be added to the CSC Roster by placing a $0 waiver bid at any point during the regular season and playoffs.

GROUP II: Delayed Graduate

WHO: Group I Prospects who have burned the ﬁrst year of their ELC

1. Rights are held for up to 3 League Years, inclusively, from the time of first qualification (please consult Table – Potential Control of a Prospect, to determine maximum control of rights) 2. Clubs continue to hold the rights to this Prospect after his ELC was burned up until the Qualification Deadline, at which point the Club must elect to: (a) Qualify him ➡ A Group II Prospect may only be Qualified one more time, if he is still controllable (please consult Table – Potential Control of a Prospect, to determine maximum control of rights) (b) Keep him ➡ If a Group II Prospect is Kept, he is drafted onto a Club’s active roster at the Draft at the keeper spot of Round 23; no additional rules apply to him, and he becomes ineligible to be selected in a future Prospect Draft 3. Group II Prospects can be traded to other Clubs without being Qualified. 4. Group II Prospects may be added to the CSC Roster by placing a $0 waiver bid at any point during the regular season and playoffs.

9 GROUP III: Qualified Graduate

WHO: Group II Prospects who were Qualiﬁed at the Qualiﬁcation Deadline

ON NHL ROSTER If a Group III Prospect is on an NHL roster as of the start of an NHL season, a Club must exercise one of the following options within 2 League Weeks of him being active on an NHL roster: (a) Add him (b) Tag him (becomes Group IV) (c) Release his Rights

1. If a Club does not Add or Tag the Prospect within the allotted time period, his rights are released and other CSC Clubs are free to add him as a regular Player.

CALLED UP If a Group III Prospect is NOT an NHL roster as of the start of an NHL season, the Prospect’s Club is subject to the following regulations

1. Once a Group III Prospect is called up to his NHL club at any point between the beginning of the CSC season and with 14 Days remaining until the CSC Trade Deadline, the aforementioned 2 League Week clock starts 2. The clock only extends up until (and including) the date of the CSC Trade Deadline, meaning it is possible a Club may have less than two full League Weeks to exercise one of the following options on a player once he is active on an NHL roster (example: he is called up with 10 days to go before the Trade Deadline): (a) Add him (b) Tag him (becomes Group IV) (c) Release his rights 3. If a Club does not Add or Tag the Prospect within the allotted time period, his rights are released and other CSC Clubs are free to add him as a regular Player.

NOT CALLED UP If a Group III Prospect is NOT called up to an NHL roster with 14 Days remaining until the CSC Trade Deadline, the Prospect’s Club is subject to the following regulations: 1. a Club will have up until and including the CSC Trade Deadline to Add or Tag the player to continue to hold his rights 2. If the Club elects to trade the Prospect during this timeframe, the Acquiring Club is not required to Add or Tag him if he is not called up to an NHL Club i) Once the Prospect is called up to an NHL club, the Acquiring Club will be subject to the rules governing a team’s options once a player is called up to an NHL Team.

10 GROUP IV: Tagged Graduate

WHO: Group III Prospects whose rights were retained in-season through the use of a Tag

WHAT: Group III Prospects who have been “Tagged” remain the property of the Club for the remainder of the League Year up until the Qualiﬁcation Deadline. A “Tag” is the means by which a Club can extend its control over a Group III Prospect

1. If a Club utilizes a Tag on a Group III Player, the Club forfeits: (a) the right to trade for any Group I or II Prospects until the end of the next Prospect Draft (b) one (1) of their three (3) annual Prospect Qualifying Offers 2. Only one Group III Prospect may be Tagged per Club per League Year. 3. Tags are not revocable and unused Tags may not be transferred to other Clubs. 4. Group IV Prospects may not be Qualified by any club again, and a Club may only retain a Group IV Prospect by designating him as a Keeper that offseason. 5. Group IV Prospects that are traded remain Tagged once they are the property of the Acquiring Club. The Acquiring Club is not subject to any penalty outlined in bullet #1 in this section. The Trading Club’s penalties as outlined in bullet #1 are not rescinded by trading away a Group IV Prospect.

Added Prospect

WHO: Group I, II, III, IV Prospects who are added to a CSC Roster lose all Prospect Designations and statuses, and are henceforth regarded as a regular, Pro CSC Player.